The present invention relates to copiers and printers which can be operated over a network, and more specifically, to systems for identifying types of print media, such as paper, transparency, letterhead, etc. which are available in specific locations among various copiers and printers on the network.
In the office-equipment context, such as including copiers and printers, it is generally well known to provide, with each machine, a plurality of selectable trays, each having an identifiable type of print media therein. Different types of media may typically include papers of different sizes or colors, or transparency media. With specific users, however, there may be very specific types of media, such as different types of letterhead or other user-specific forms.
In situations where a plurality of copiers and printers are in communication with various computers through a network, a user originating a print job at a computer will wish to locate a machine having a correct type of media on which to print. Where the selection of available types of media is wide, such as including specific types of letterhead, a user at a computer will wish to have this very specific information about the media in each tray of many machines displayed to him in detail.
In the prior art, however, there are practical constraints on giving a user such a xe2x80x9ccomplete picturexe2x80x9d: very often the data structures and communication among computers and machines is incapable of describing the media in a particular tray beyond a basic, xe2x80x9cchoose one of the followingxe2x80x9d description such as xe2x80x9cA4.xe2x80x9d Also, the fact that machines may be widely distributed geographically, with various machines being under the control of local key operators (who are responsible for maintaining supplies in each tray), creates a danger that a description of the media which is displayed to the user may become incorrect.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,595 discloses a digital printer/copier in which descriptions of various media supplies are displayed at a user interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,005 discloses a user interface for a copier, in which displays on a touchscreen may be manually modified.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,820 discloses a digital printer/copier in which a description of the contents of a particular paper tray in the machine is entered by a system administrator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,942 discloses a digital printer/copier in which a description of the contents of a particular paper tray in the machine is reflected in the position of a mechanical dial associated with each tray. The dial includes a set of electrical contacts by which the paper size in the tray is communicated electronically to a control system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,414 discloses a network-based system in which status information, including information about paper supplies, about a selected printer on the network is monitored by a user""s computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,732 disclose a digital printer/copier in which a description of the contents of a particular paper tray in the machine is displayed by one of a set of selectable icons which can be xe2x80x9cdragged and droppedxe2x80x9d for display on a touchscreen in the machine user interface.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a printer having a remote computer associated therewith, the printing apparatus having a user interface. At the user interface, description data relating to the printer is entered, the description data relating to at least one of a contents of a paper tray associated with the printer, a type of marking material associated with the printer, and a finishing capability associated with the printer. The description data is retained at the printer. The remote computer queries the identification data at the printer.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a plurality of digital printers via a computer, each printer including at least one paper tray, comprising: entering a query into the computer; for each printer, obtaining alphanumeric description data from a memory associated with the printer, the description data relating to at least one of a contents of a paper tray associated with the printer, a type of marking material associated with the printer, and a finishing capability associated with the printer; and displaying at least some of the alphanumeric description data at the computer.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, comprising printer hardware, at least one paper tray, a control system operative of the printer hardware, the control system including means for communicating with an external computer over a network, and a user interface associated with the control system, the user interface including means for a user to enter alphanumeric description data relating to a contents of the paper tray. The control system includes means for allowing the alphanumeric description data to be read via the external computer.